It's a year away from the '14 election but for the politicos that's time to start stirring the pot--and here they are doing just that.

That's Democratic state treasurer candidate John Wertheim manning the chicharrone paddle as he gives the pot of steaming pork pieces a hearty stir.

Attorney General and Dem Guv hopeful Gary King looks on intently, probably wondering how he is going to stick to his new campaign diet.

It's reassuring to see Wertheim and King getting proper supervision for their chicarrone duty from a trio of our ABQ Valley Alligators

We're especially pleased to see that Wertheim is using a wooden paddle--not a metal one--for those chicharrones. Use of a metal paddle is a serious political infraction. The penalty is a loss in the primary election (just ask Brian Colon).

The only possible infraction of chicharrone stirring rules we see here is Wertheim's wardrobe. The leather jacket just doesn't seem to cut it for a Matanza.

Well, we can only urge Wertheim primary opponents Tim Eichenberg and Patrick Padilla to go easy on him and not use this photo in one of those negative mailers.

As for proper chicarrone stirring attire, just look at the Gator standing next to Wertheim. Everyone knows a Lobo jersey with chile stains is the way to go.

APD AWOL

An ABQ news producer writes of the lack of communication from the ABQ police department during last Saturday's shootings which resulted in the wounding of four local law enforcement officers and the death of the shooter. The incident involved a high speed chase through city streets:

We were basically pleading with the APD public information officer for something, anything, so we could say whether or not there was a continuing threat to public safety. All we got back was "we'll say something when we say something" and go wait in the media staging area. So we kept reporting the continuing threat as an unknown even though the chase was over and the bad guy was dead at a North Valley gas station about 30 minutes after the first shot.

It was five (!) hours after this began when we got a joint statement from APD interim Chief Allen Banks and BernCo Sheriff Dan Houston confirming the guy was dead. By then we'd finally gone with "sources say" but repeated the lack of confirmation. Any review of this incident needs to include what has to be considered a major breakdown in public outreach during a time of crisis.

Where was Banks? Could they not track him down? Is he not ready for prime time? Does he have no appreciation or understanding of media relations?. Why did APD take so long to say something official and reassure the public all was under control?

Fair questions and ones we assume Chief Banks will take to heart.

SHE ENDORSED DINELLI

Reader Brandon Trujillo has an amendment to the blog in which we pointed out that Senators Udall and Heinrich did not endorse fellow Dem Pete Dinelli when he ran for Mayor and we also said the same about US Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham:

I just wanted to point out that Michelle Lujan Grisham did endorse Pete Dinelli and put out a robo call a week before the election.

We missed that, Brandon. Thanks.

THE MIND OF CHASE

And many in the ABQ community have been asking about the mental condition of the shooter--35 year old Christopher Chase. Was he mentally ill? Was he on medication? What was his mental health treatment background, if any? KOB-TV's Tom Joles put the matter to Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston who said:

...We understand there was nothing in his criminal record that would have indicated or given us any inference that there were any kind of mental issue or mental problems with this individual.

Well, that's his criminal record, but what about his medical record and history? What can law enforcement tell us about that?

The questions bring to mind the heated political debate over the suspension of Medicaid payments by the Martinez administration to a dozen behavioral health providers because of fraud allegations. They have been replaced by Arizona firms, but the transition has been rocky, with media reports saying service to some New Mexicans has been interrupted.

Not to say that this was the case with Chase, but the mental health angle is urgent. Look at this news:

A new federal report ranks New Mexico as the state with the highest percentage of citizens with mental illness. But the 416-page survey also reveals states in the Southwest are above average in many areas like access to mental health services. . . .Nationally, the report estimates that 17.8 percent of individuals suffer from mental illness. Compared to other states, New Mexico showed the highest rate of mental illness: 23.6 percent.

That's yet another social condition challenge facing our state.

But to end the week on a less serious note....

The report showed New Mexico had the highest rate of mental illness in the USA at 23.6% but the rate among New Mexico legislators was 46.8%. That's a lot lower than anyone expected....:)

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Virgin Galactic moves its target launch date from New Mexico's Spaceport more often than a chameleon changes colors.

Virgin, led by quixotic billionaire Sir Richard Branson who earlier promised a Christmas Day launch into suborbital space, now says--or at least the Spaceport folks say--the ship carrying wealthy passengers will not take off at least until August of 2014. Really?

The Spaceport, one of the most promising ventures for the state in years, is starting to lose its audience. Rumors swirl over the technical readiness of the project while the Spaceport bleeds cash because of the long delay. New Mexicans have been patient, but they are no longer anticipating anything soon.

(Virgin Galactic Chief Executive George Whitesides said the company has not publicly disclosed its timeline for commercial launches of passenger flights.)

Then-Governor Richardson and Branson announced the Spaceport collaboration in December of 2005.  Since then, Virgin has repeatedly given launch dates that have gone bust, setting a grand example in how not to execute public relations.

Well, maybe all ends well and the rocket lifts off in August 2014, flapping a big banner on its tail that says "Re-elect Governor Martinez!"

WHERE WERE THEY?

Democratic US Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich are all in for the candidacy of ABQ Dem City Council candidate Diane Gibson. They issued a joint endorsement of her. 

That raises the question of where they were when Dem Pete Dinelli was doing battle with GOP Mayor Richard Berry October 8. Dinelli got crushed in that race with Berry garnering 68% of the vote. If anyone needed the congressional help, he did. But maybe they saw what was about to happen. And maybe Dinelli's past relationships with the Senators was--how do we say it?--complicated?

As for Gibson, she faces Republican Janice Arnold-Jones in a November 19 run-off for the District 7 council seat. Although the district is Democratic, Arnold-Jones gathered 49% of the vote in the initial balloting and remains the favorite to retain the seat for the R's.

What the New Mexico Democratic Party needs is a good fight. And it's about to get one. Often times bitter infighting in a primary election can lead to trouble at the polls in November but in the case of the nearly moribund NM Dems they are in desperate need of recapturing the vim and vigor that made them the state's majority party.

So far, there are four candidates for the '14 Democratic nomination--none of them are of the top tier variety but all believe the state is worth fighting over. That's good for them and good for the two party system.

Democrats decided not to contest the ABQ mayoral race--with catastrophic results. If we have it wrong and the Dem nomination battle fails to ignite the animal spirits of the party's base, the R's could again waltz to a Guv re-election win, take the state House with them and keep the secretary of state's office in their camp.

So Democrats, don't fear the sight of blood on the canvas among your own. That's a sign of life in a party that has needed a stethoscope to find a heartbeat.

LIBERALS ON ICE

It's interesting that all four Dem candidates for Governor qualify as "liberals." Yet the state Senate is controlled by a coalition of Republicans and a handful of "Martinez Democrats." That shows how a  rural strain of Dem conservatism has outsized representation in the corridors of Santa Fe.

Viki Harrison of Common Cause comes with a report on lobbying in Santa Fe that provides one answer to why that is.. There were nearly 700 lobbyists up there this past legislation--many of them representing major corporate interests who are served quite well by the status quo. Same in DC, isn't it?  The report is chock full of interesting and useful facts as well as trivia.

CRIME WAVE

It seems we are going through another of those crime waves that startle the public and have the TV news departments in overdrive.

The most sensational incident happened Saturday when three law officers were shot by an obviously deranged man who ended up dead either by his own hand or that of the police. It surely was the fate he set out to seal when he decided to go on his rampage.

Retired APD Seargent Dan Klein watches such matters for us. He comes with this analysis:


The number of consumers who signed contracts to buy homes dropped sharply in the Albuquerque metro area and the country as a whole in September, reflecting higher mortgage rates and home prices that have made purchases more costly. There were 889 pending home sales in September in the Albuquerque metro area down 12 percent from 1,011 pendings a month earlier and 1,158 the month before that, the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors reported.

No mystery here. The anemic job market--not many jobs and those that are available often pay way too low--are going to keep a lid on the local housing market.

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The ABQ abortion battle is fully joined, with the November 19 election garnering more attention as early vote centers are set to open Wednesday and the pitch for absentee ballots is going full steam as evidenced by the mailer we posted here today.

Our election observers say the proposal to ban late term abortions--those after 20 weeks of pregnancy--seems to stand a pretty good chance of passing, unless the the nature of the electorate can be changed in the final weeks.

A September ABQ Journal poll had 54% of likely voters supporting the abortion ban and 39% against.

Low voter turnout is the friend of this controversial ballot proposition. The lower it goes the more the pro-life side should benefit. Their voters are the most energized so far.

However, the major group fighting the ban--Respect ABQ Women--has $110,000 in cash in its campaign account to spend between now and Nov 19, reports newsman Sterling Fluharty. The main group in support of the ban--Protect ABQ Women and Children--reports about $23,000 cash on hand.

If the cash disparity persists, ban foes could get a boost, but our election analysts point out that it takes fewer dollars to motivate those who favor the proposal. (The first TV ad urging a defeat of the ban started to air today. See it here.)

One reason for that is the 27,000 petition signatures that were gathered to place the measure on the ballot. Many of those who signed can be counted on to vote.

Our Legal Beagles say the abortion ban--if passed--would end up in the courts and likely found to be unconstitutional. That makes the Nov. 19 vote more symbolic for some voters and may keep them home.

Another challenge for the pro-choice side is the favorable views many Hispanic Catholic Democrats have toward the ban. They will have to target their potential supporters carefully.

ONE LONG BALLOT

The "Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance" as the late term abortion ban is known may be the longest ballot initiative in city history. That's because the complete proposed ordinance is printed in both English and Spanish.

For voters in ABQ City Council District 7--a large portion of which is in the mid-ABQ NE Heights--they will also see on their ballot a city council race. It's the run-off election between Republican Janice Arnold-Jones and Democrat Diane Gibson.

Arnold Jones scored 49% of the vote in the first round of balloting Oct 8, but she needed 50% for the outright win.

Mayor Berry has taken a personal interest in the Arnold-Jones effort. If she were to lose, control of the nine member council would flip to the Dems. Currently the R's control it 5 to 4.

Tito Madrid, a veteran GOP operative who did field work for Berry's mayoral campaign, is now working for Arnold Jones who earlier this year Berry appointed to the council to fill a vacancy.

WEBBER'S WAY

Alan Webber made it official Monday and became the fourth Democratic hopeful seeking the 2014 nomination for Governor.

We broke the news of Webber's intentions last week, noting that the Santa Fe author and businessman received a good chunk of change when the business magazine he helped co-found--Fast Company--was sold for some $365 million in 2000.

Webber, who identifies himself as a pro-business, progressive Dem, did not get all the cash from that sale, of course. It was shared among a group of investors, but he has enough personal wealth to shake up the race.

Insiders expect him to put up in the neighborhood of $500,000 of his own money for the primary.

Governor Martinez's campaign immediately tagged Webber as part of the "extreme fringe" of the Democratic Party

Webber, who has lived in Santa Fe with his wife of 37 years since 2003, announced his candidacy via Twitter and posted a several minute introductory video. He did not mention his foes and noted that this is his first run for elective office, although he has government experience. That includes writing speeches for Massachusetts Governor Micahel Dukakis and working for Portland, Oregon city government.

Webber's news release announcement is here. His consultant is ABQ's Neri Holguin.

KOB-TV's report on Webber's announcement is here.

WEIGHING WEBBER

Several readers opined on the new Guv entrant including conservative Jim McClure:

Alan Webber's candidacy could add some much-needed excitement to the governor's race. The fact that he's an outsider is a plus because he brings fresh ideas and is not invested in the status quo. He may be the only Democrat in New Mexico who has private-sector credentials and does not reflexively distrust the profit motive.

Another wrote:

I would lose the "Alan" for governor branding. "Alan Webber for Governor" would be better. Alan is not a common name in NM and people won't relate to it. Also, the opening of "Hi, I'm Alan" in the video seems weak and his appearance and method of talking is more suited to a national race.

And another:

Santa Fe liberals don't have a good track record of selling statewide, but the other candidates manage to share the common link of being tied to the mess in Santa Fe. Worse, none are capable of raising money.

The other contenders for the Dem nod are Attorney General Gary King and State Senators Linda Lopez and Howie Morales.  ABQ Government administrator Lawrence Rael tells us he is also weighing a run.

PARENTS RESPONSIBLE, TOO

Reader Joan Fenicle writes to us of the hot debate over the state's new teacher evaluation program:

I am certainly no expert on teacher evaluation, but common sense tells me that teachers can't be held totally accountable for the performance of children who show up for school unprepared. And the one third of our children who come into first grade unprepared are those most likely not to meet norms nor graduate. Seems that early childhood education is an investment New Mexico must make if we want to change this pattern. Only then can teachers be held responsible for the performance of the children in their classrooms.

Reader JD Robertson adds:

The way I see the new teacher evaluation system, there is going to be more trouble administering it as opposed to working under it. How many people can one rating official reasonably be expected to be responsible for? According to what little I read, among other considerations, the principal of each school will be expected to monitor (classroom visit) each teacher in his school on a regular basis. How many teachers will that be in a school with 2,000 students? Based on my own experience when I was a rating officer, in order to give a well thought out appraisal a maximum of three people is about all one rater can handle. Naturally, the paper work alone will be astronomical. From my point of view the system being offered is bureaucratic nonsense.

Lisa Todd, a teacher at ABQ's Taylor Middle School, disagrees:

Team education in New Mexico finds itself at the bottom of the standings when it comes to the performance of our students. The time has come for the key players of our team to raise the level of our game. These key players are the teachers and administrators. It is time for us to try something new, and give Education Secretary Hanna Skandera a chance to help us improve. The new Educator Effectiveness System is the way we will improve the level of our profession. I am an eighth-grade math and physical education teacher...Having experienced the new evaluation process, I find myself assessing my skills and looking closely at my educational practices that result in actually changing my “game” because of this new evaluation protocol.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Ramon Huerta

Raul Huerta writes us from Hamilton, NY:

Dear Joe, I wanted to let you know about the passing of my uncle, former ABQ State Representative Ramon Huerta (D-24). He served with distinction  as the chairman of the Education Committee. He was responsible for legislation such as the education lottery and placing nurses in public schools. He taught Spanish at Highland High School for 30 years, was President of the Albuquerque Classroom Teachers Association, was editor of El Hispano and a member of the Army Air Corps. He died a few weeks after his 89th birthday. He was a respected member of the legislature...

Thanks for that news, Raul. Ramon Huerta served from 1988-1994....

In our first report on Guv candidate Alan Webber Friday we said he was "newly arrived" as a Santa Fe resident. He says he has lived there full-time for ten years. Our impression that he was a new arrival came from a news interview he conducted earlier this year.

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Do critics have it right? That NM Competes--the political nonprofit that is roiling the waters of La Politica--is actually “a secretly funded arm of Gov. Martinez’s reelection campaign?"

You don't have to dig very deep to see some very deep connections between NM Competes, the Governor and her chief political adviser Jay McCleskey.

The group--which last week mailed the hit piece posted here against ABQ Public Schools Superintendent Winston Brooks--bills itself as "a nonpartisan 501C4 organization."

It has to organize itself that way in order to be able to keep donors to NM Competes private. But the IRS designation also means it is prohibited from coordinating its activity with the Governor's re-election campaign.

But just how nonpartisan is NM Competes? Its director is Sara Lister a former deputy cabinet secretary in the Martinez administration and a veteran political operative who raised funds for former GOP Senator Domenici and was campaign manager for Republican Darren White's 2008 US House campaign. White, Lister and McCleskey are political associates of many years standing.

Then there is the board of directors of NM Competes. We checked with the Secretary of State and found that the board is composed of three members--all highly partisan Republicans with very close ties to Martinez campaign chief McCleskey. There's not a single Democrat or independent on the board. Here are those directors, with some of the background info provided by our Alligators:

The Governor does not control this group and has not seen the (Brooks) mailer, but is glad there are common-sense and reform-minded voices in this debate.

There's really not much of a fig leaf for Martinez and McCleskey. The political associations are simply too close for reasonable suspicions not to be raised. And the fact that the board members are all stalwart Republicans closely tied to McCleskey makes plausible deniability of no coordination between NM Competes and the Governor's campaign that much more difficult.

A chief line of defense by the Governor's operatives is that dark money groups have sprouted up that oppose the Governor. True enough, but that doesn't address the concern that NM Competes is funded by a group of unknown donors who may be looking to get something from state government in return for their support.

Martinez has the power. That's why the focus is on her and why before her it was on Gov. Richardson and his donors.

KOCH BROTHERS

Just where is NM Competes getting all this money to bash Brooks and support Martinez's decision to suspend Medicaid funding to nonprofit mental health care providers?

Mailers have been sent to thousands of households. radio ads have been bought around the state and as Campaign '14 draws closer, TV ads are probably not far behind.

Democrats hold up the billionaire conservative Koch brothers as likely backers because NM Competes resembles other Koch backed nonprofits.

How such groups can get into trouble is shown by this news from California:

Two nonprofit groups connected with the billionaire Koch brothers are part of a $16 million settlement with the state of California for funneling money to political campaigns without properly disclosing their donors. California Attorney General Kamala Harris and the state’s campaign finance regulator, Fair Political Practices Commission, reached a settlement that includes a combined $1 million fine for two Arizona-based organizations described by regulators as “part of the ‘Koch Brothers’ Network’ of dark money political nonprofit corporations.” The agreement also forces two California campaign committees to disgorge $15 million received without proper disclosure.

The Koch brothers met with Martinez this summer at the Hyatt Tamaya resort which they completely rented out to host a closed-door political conference. We don't know who Martinez brought along to that meeting--if anyone. But it would be interesting to know if Sara Lister or Jay McCleskey were among the guests.

ROUSING THE BASE?

The blistering mail attack on Superintendent Brooks was characterized by APS school board member Kathy Korte as another example of "bullying" and "intimidation" by the Governor's political arm.

Social media lighted up with reaction to the Brooks bashing as well as to an editorial in the Sunday Journal that ignored the big story of the new political paradigm taking place in the state via NM Competes. Instead, it joined in on the attacks on Brooks, Korte and the teachers union.

All of this had our Alligators wondering why the Guv's political machine has gotten so worked up of late. She sports an approval rating hovering near or at 60%, according to the latest insider polling. Why not let sleeping dog lies and walk this one home?

As it stands the attack machine operating on behalf of the Guv may be rousing segments of the Democratic base who will now make sure they get to the polls next year.

One of the Alligators had this to say about the harsh politicization of the teacher testing and behavioral health issues:

It's like she's going on to the battlefield to bayonet the wounded and dead. The administration is nicely positioned politically, but she and Jay can't help themselves. They seem to want a fight for the sake of having one.

Maybe so. But also remember that the legislative record of this administration is exceedingly sparse. Perhaps Susana is feeling the frustration of a 60% approval rating but little of consequence to show for it.

The administration's thirst for victory at any cost has them implementing the teacher evaluation program by executive decision because the Legislature would not go along (conservative Dem Senator Georg Munoz is one of those balking at that). Now they are using their usual weapon of "attack, attack, attack" to try to get the final win. But after three years their one dimensional and predictable act could be wearing thin.

Brooks, Korte and the teachers have joined a line--albeit a small one for now--that no longer capitulates to gubernatorial thumping--whether it be by her shadow governor or the dark money shadow group NM Competes.

If Martinez truly wants the "bold change" she campaigned on and desires to become a substantive political figure, she is going to have to learn that she can't do it by being a prosecutor and threatening to indict anyone who dares to differ. Otherwise, her governorship will remain a personal triumph and a triumph of her public personality. Maybe that's enough for her, but it makes little difference to the lives of others.

SHOW THE MONEY, SARA

The reporting requirements for NM Competes run by NM GOP operative Sara Lister are very skimpy. The group will have to eventually tell us how much they raised and spent, but little else.

One of our campaign insiders adds this twist: We may not get any financial info on NM Competes until after the November 2014 election:

A nonprofit can routinely request two extensions on their annual "990" IRS tax returns (May 15 and Aug 15) with a final Nov. 15 deadline. That would mean the first publicly-available "990" for NM Competes--a501c4 nonprofit incorporated in 2013--would not need to be filed until 2 weeks after the 2014 election.

That's pretty convenient for Governor Martinez but surely just a random coincidence, right? Sure.

One other note on this. To qualify for its special tax status, NM Competes can't spend the majority of its money on politics, and its primary advocacy must be on issues. But where and when do those lines cross?

NM Competes---how much money? From whom? Does it cross the line? And what's the impact on the '14 race for Governor? Stay tuned...

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author